Caldo de Pollo (Día de los Muertos Celebration Soup)

Caldo de pollo — Mexican chicken soup — is one of the dishes placed on the ofrenda (altar) during Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, November 1–2) to nourish the returning spirits of the deceased. The preparation is among the most fundamental in Mexican cooking: a whole chicken simmered with charred onion and garlic, vegetables, and herbs until the broth is deep and golden and the chicken is falling from the bone. Served with warm corn tortillas, lime, avocado, and fresh salsa, caldo de pollo is simultaneously everyday food and sacred food — which may be the most Mexican of distinctions. The dish's quality depends entirely on the broth: the charring of the onion and garlic directly over the flame gives it the smoky depth that distinguishes it from a simple chicken broth, and the Mexican herbs — epazote and Mexican oregano — give it a character that Italian or French herbs cannot replicate.